It is generally known to incorporate elastic, rubber or spandex yarn in socks for a variety of reasons. For example, such elastic yarns are used to form mock-rib fabric patterns for aesthetic purposes, and in other instances are used in order to impart compressive support characteristics thereto. In some cases, the elastic yarn is incorporated differently in different areas of the sock to vary the stretchability or compressive characteristics of different areas of the sock. For example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,386,270 discloses knitting and floating covered spandex yarn in spaced courses throughout the leg portion of a sock while knitting the spandex yarn in every wale in the calf portion to increase the stretchability of the sock in the calf portion for better wearer comfort.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 2,102,368 and 2,219,235 disclose several arrangements for incorporating elastic yarn in the arch covering portion of the foot of a sock to provide arch supporting characteristics to the sock. All of these arrangements have the support characteristic limited to the arch area. Although these prior types of socks have been effective for providing support in the areas proposed, they have not been particularly adapted for providing the proper amount of support in both the ankle and arch areas.